Auguste Clown Gallery Presents – ‘Sleepwalker’s Dream’ #Melbourne #art #geekgirl
dilka bear flyer
Come under the spell of Italian artist, Dilka Bear and experience her enchanted world with the exhibition ‘Sleepwalker’s Dreams’ at Auguste Clown Gallery from 15th February to 2nd March, 2013
Following on from her sellout show in Rome last year, Sleepwalker’s Dreams marks Dilka’s first solo exhibition abroad and is a testament to her work as an established artist in the pop surrealism genre.
Her rise as an artist unfolds a story in itself. In 2009 Dilka decided to stop working as a graphic designer and to pursue painting full time. From her home in the rural outskirts of Italy, she uploaded photos of her work to a global art community on the online picture sharing site, Flickr. Four years later and Dilka Bear’s fan base has grown to more than 30,000 people across her various social media pages.
“It is really incredible how the Internet has helped artists get their work out there,” Dilka said. “Originally I joined Flickr to show my paintings to friends. To my surprise complete strangers started commenting on my work and it just took off from there. A gallery asked me to participate in a group art show after seeing my work in Flickr. Since then, I have been lucky enough to support myself as an artist full time.”
One of the highlights of her career and example of the value of social media has been the sale of her oil painting entitled ‘Poems’ to American actress and personality, Rosie O’Donnell. Rosie caught a glimpse of the painting on a fan’s Twitter feed and located the piece in a group show at Auguste Clown Gallery. It is now a prized painting in Rosie’s private art collection.
The painting ‘Poems’ depicts a lone boy by the ocean’s edge with mice floating in paper boats and illustrates the strong influence nature has in Dilka’s work. Myth and folklore are also ongoing themes in her art and each piece she creates tells its own story.
“I take my inspiration mainly from nature and the place i live and people i know, and sometimes books that i read, movies, and dreams. In my childhood I was fascinated by Grimms Fairytales and the hidden narrative that I only understand now as an adult,” Dilka said.
“My new exhibition, ‘Sleepwalker’s Dreams’, is very personal, based my own experiences and like a sleepwalker who is lost between dreams and reality. I want people viewing my work to enter this surreal world and find their own connection with the stories told.”
“Sleepwalker’s Dreams” opens at Auguste Clown Gallery, 52 Johnston Street, Fitzroy on Friday 15 February, 7.00 pm.